Avengers Plus One
by jjsoc10
Summary: Nick Fury introduces the Avengers to a young girl who is a familiar face to Thor and Loki. As time goes on, they all realize that not only does she possess considerable power, but she very well might be the key to defeating Loki. Set during the Avengers movie, eventual StevexOC. Rating may change. This is my first fanfic, so I appreciate any and all reviews, but please be nice :
1. Chapter 1

Finally, all of the Avengers, plus Nick Fury, had gathered in one room together for the first time. With one exception.

Steve could not figure out who the young girl sitting across from him was. She was obviously a SHIELD agent, as she wore the standard jumpsuit, but she looked far too young to be working for them. Her dark hair fell in waves around her youthful face, and her skin was the colour of caramel. Altogether she looked exceptionally plain, except for her eyes; they were a cold, unnatural blue that didn't match the rest of her appearance in the slightest.

"Mr. Rogers," Fury barked. "Are you paying attention to what I'm saying?"

Steve whipped his head around and coughed. "Ah, yes, sir. But I do have a question."

Fury sighed. "Yes?"

Steve pointed at the dark-haired girl. "Who's she?"

The girl swiveled her head around to face him. Steve shivered under her gaze. A prickling sensation started along his spine, no doubt due to her emotionless, rather creepy gaze.

"This is Myra," Fury said bluntly. "Any other questions?"

"Yes," said Stark. "How old are you?"

"Mr. Stark," Steve reprimanded. Stark shrugged.

"What? She's young. It's odd." He paused. "And don't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing."

Steve had to admit, Stark was right.

Myra glanced at Fury. _How strange_, Steve thought. It was almost as if she was waiting for his permission to speak. Because he was focused so intently on Myra, Steve missed the small nod Fury gave her.

"I was fifteen –"

"Ha! Told you she was young!" Stark exclaimed triumphantly.

" – about two hundred years ago," she finished. Her accent was British. Steve felt a pang in his lower abdomen. _Peggy_.

"No way." Stark gaped. Myra just nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips. "But that's, like, not possible. I mean, Spangles over here stayed alive for seventy years, but he was a Capsicle and he's a supersoldier. You're obviously not a supersoldier."

"Myra's a superhero," Nick interjected.

"Really?" Stark turned to Nick. "She doesn't look all that special. Then again, as far as I'm concerned, the only person here with real powers is me."

"You don't actually have powers, Mr. Stark," Myra pointed out. "You just have a fancy suit."

Stark waved a hand. "Details. So, what are your powers?"

Again, Myra glanced at Fury. This time, Steve caught the incline of his head. _Why is she asking Fury for his permission?_

"I am bound to the Tesseract by some of the oldest magic known to the Nine Realms," Myra explained. "Magic that even Loki and his newfound company cannot break. You could say that I am the human form of the Tesseract, as I am linked to it in every way imaginable. When it's energy spikes, mine does as well. When it falters, so does mine. And I can harness its energy and use it for whatever purpose I wish."

"What do you mean, you can harness its energy?" Banner said, sounding genuinely curious. Myra turned around to face him.

"I mean exactly what I say, Doctor. The energy of the Tesseract is mine to control."

"Yes, but how?"

"Show them," Fury instructed. "It'll be easier than explaining."

"Of course." Myra flipped her left hand over so that it was laying palm up on the table. A curling mark was inscribed on her wrist, marring the otherwise smooth skin of her forearm. As they all watched with interest, it began to glow a bright blue that matched the colour of her eyes, and a shimmering blue knife materialized in her hand. Stark scoffed.

"How do we know that's not just a hologram?"

Myra looked at him. Picking up the knife in her right hand, she drew it across her left palm. Steve sucked in a breath as blood welled up along the shallow cut.

"Point taken," he said, shooting a meaningful glare at Stark. Glancing back at Myra's hand, he was shocked to see the cut had already healed. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Myra asked innocently.

"Heal that fast. You don't even have a scar."

"The Tesseract. Apparently it has some sense of self-preservation." Steve couldn't be sure, but he thought he could detect a hint of bitterness behind her cool indifference. Fury sighed.

"That's not important. What is important is –"

"Loki's been spotted," Agent Hill interrupted. Fury sighed again.

"Where?"

"Stuttgart, Germany." There was a pause as she showed them the computer monitor. "He's not exactly hiding."

Fury didn't respond; instead, he turned to the rest of the team. "Captain, suit up. This one's yours."


	2. Chapter 2

**I got a few alerts from the last update, but no reviews :( I'd really like to see what everyone thinks about my writing, so reviews would be nice! (I'm not going to do one of those things where I refuse to update unless I get a certain amount of reviews. It takes me long enough to update anyways, I figure that's sufficient punishment ;) )**

**I skipped a bit of the movie while writing this one; in case it hasn't become clear yet, I'm not going to be following the movie exactly, because there are a few scenes I'd like to include that involve either my character, Steve, or both. Just a heads up, in case anyone wanted it to follow the movie.**

**I also forgot to include a disclaimer on my last chapter, but I (sadly) do not own any of these characters except for Myra. All others belong to Marvel.**

**Enjoy!**

oOoOoOo

Five hours later, Loki was secured in a rather large god-proof cage on the lower level of the Helicarrier. Steve, Agent Romanov, and Myra sat in the meeting room, waiting for the rest of the Avengers. As soon as Fury walked in, Myra stood.

"I want to see him."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, I want to see him."

"Under no circumstances are you to set foot in that room. I don't care if we've made it so he can't escape. You're too important and too close to the Tesseract for us to risk losing you to him."

"Fury, I might be able to talk some sense into him," Myra protested. "Just give me five minutes. Please."

Fury made an impatient noise. "I don't have time for this. Captain?"

"Sir?" Steve stood.

"Make sure she doesn't go anywhere near Loki's cage."

"Yes, sir." He cast a meaningful glance at Myra. She made an indignant sound and sat down, crossing her arms over her chest. Just then, Thor entered the room, saw Myra, and froze.

"_Myra_?" he half-whispered. Myra glanced at him and did a double take.

"_Thor_?"

Thor recovered from his momentary shock and made a beeline for her. "The Lady Myra!" he exclaimed, swinging her up into a bear hug. Myra coughed and spluttered, struggling in his grip.

"Thor!" she choked. "I can't…breathe…"

Thor dropped her immediately. "My apologies! Have I harmed you?"

Myra smiled. "Not at all. It's good to see you, Thor. It's been a long time."

"Hang on a second," Fury interrupted. "You two know each other?"

Myra turned to face him. "Of course. I'm surprised you didn't know that. The Tesseract was the jewel of Odin's treasureroom before it was stolen." Seeing the blank stares from everyone, she added, "Did nobody else know that?"

"Obviously not," Fury said dryly. "Does this mean Loki knows you too?"

"Yes. That's why I wanted to speak with him."

"Absolutely not!" Thor cried. "He is deluded and believes he can control the Tesseract. He will want to control you as well."

"Then it's been decided." Fury pointed at Myra. "You are not setting foot in that room."

Myra threw her hands in the air. "Fine. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the lab helping Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner find the Tesseract." She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. Fury nodded once to Steve, who stood up and followed Myra out.

"Why are you following me?"

Steve felt the now-familiar pang in his gut at the sound of her voice. "I'm making sure you don't go to see Loki."

Myra made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded suspiciously like a snort. "As if you could stop me."

"Is that where you're headed?"

"No. I meant what I said. I'm going to help Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner."

"Oh. Well, I'm coming with you."

"Fine."

The rest of the journey was spent in silence. Myra and Steve entered the lab just in time to see Stark poke Banner harshly in the side with a long metal rod.

"Ouch!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Steve pushed past Myra. "Or are you trying to endanger the lives of everyone on this ship?"

"It's okay, Captain," Banner reassured. "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things."

"How close are we to finding the Tesseract, Doctor?" Myra inquired.

"I've got a tracking algorithm running right now. We should have the location within a half mile in the next hour."

"Yep. So that's all under control." Stark pulled a tiny square out of his pocket and tapped something on it. "And once my virus finishes hacking into SHIELD's mainframe, we'll know every dirty secret they've tried to hide from us."

"What?" Steve exclaimed. Stark nodded.

"JARVIS has been running the virus since I hit the deck."

"Mr. Stark, if you don't mind me asking, is this really the best use of your time?" Myra asked skeptically. Stark shrugged.

"Come on. Don't tell me you don't want to know what Fury's hiding. It's even bugging Banner over here."

Banner looked up. "Uhh…I just want to finish my work here as quickly as possible, and –"

"Doctor?" Myra interrupted. Banner sighed.

"It all seems a little…fishy. I mean, Stark's been all over the news since he converted his tower to self-sustaining energy. It'll run itself for what, a year?"

Stark popped another blueberry into his mouth. "That's just a prototype. We're kind of the only name in clean energy right now."

"Exactly. If SHIELD was trying to use the Tesseract for energy, then why didn't they bring Stark in until recently? And what are they doing in the energy business anyways?"

Steve pursed his lips. "Just find the Cube."

Myra looked at him in surprise. "He has a point."

"And we have orders." He stalked towards the door, pausing before exiting the room. "Stark, make sure Myra stays here." He walked off, ignoring Myra's sigh of exasperation.

oOoOoOo

Steve stormed down the hall. He was absolutely _livid_; SHIELD was doing exactly what he had warned them not to do. He entered the lab just as Stark asked, "What exactly _is_ Phase 2?"

"Phase 2 is SHIELD using the Cube to make weapons," Steve said, throwing the gun onto the table. "Sorry, computer was running a little slow for me." Glancing at Myra, he noticed that she had gone white.

"Is this true?" she whispered, turning to Fury.

"We gathered everything we could related to the Tesseract, including the HYDRA weapons," Fury began, starting towards Myra. "That does not mean we –"

Stark swiveled the monitor to face everyone. "I'm sorry, what were you lying?"

"You _promised_!" Myra cried. "You swore to me that you would only use the Tesseract to create energy!"

"What is going on here?" Thor boomed. He entered the lab, followed closely by Agent Romanov. "Myra, why are you distressed?"

Myra ignored Thor. "Why did you lie to me?"

"What I want to know is why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to create weapons of mass destruction," Banner interrupted, pointing at the screen. There was a moment of tense silence before Fury pointed at Thor.

"Because of him."

"Me?"

"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that nearly leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your people!" Thor protested.

"Tell that to the demigod sitting in a cage downstairs," Stark muttered. Fury continued as if Stark hadn't spoken.

"Yes, but you're not the only people out there, are you? And you're not the only threat! We had to come up with something – _fast_."

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it," Myra hissed. She sounded out of breath, as if she had been running. "It was a signal to all the realms that Earth was ready for a higher form of war. I would _never_ have agreed to assist you if I knew this was what you intended –"

"He forced my hand!" Fury exploded. "I had to come up with some way of protecting our people if something like that happened again!"

A sudden beeping interrupted him. Banner rushed forward. "We've found it." There was a pause as he studied the monitor. "It can't be."

"What is it, Doctor?" Agent Romanov peered over his shoulder.

"According to my calculations, it's right –"

Several things happened in quick succession. Myra screamed and collapsed. Steve and Thor rushed to her before an explosion rocked the Helicarrier, dropping Agent Romanov and Banner through a hole in the floor and sending Steve, Stark, Thor, Fury, and Myra flying. Steve scrambled to his feet, hauling Stark up beside him.

"Put on the suit," he gasped. Stark nodded and they both rushed out of the broken lab.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I had a writing class so I didn't have much time. This chapter is really short, also because I haven't had a lot of time. And also because my brother wants the computer.**

**I only have one review right now (thank you so much for doing that!), and I would love to have more because feedback only makes my writing better!**

**I've also decided that I'm going to continue this post-Avengers, just so you all know. **

**Enjoy!**

"WHERE IS SHE?" Steve thundered, storming into the main meeting room. Stark spread his arms wide.

"Whoa there, Freedom Pants." Steve narrowed his eyes at the nickname. "She's in the medical bay."

"In the – did you just say _medical bay_?"

"She's fine, Captain," Fury assured him. "She's just got a concussion and –" the door slammed shut behind Steve. Fury sighed. "Of course."

oOoOoOo

"MYRA!" Steve shouted, entering the medical bay. A medic rushed forward.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to keep your voice down."

Steve ignored him, having caught sight of Myra. He strode quickly to her bed and knelt beside her.

"Mr. Rogers?" Myra asked groggily. "Is that you?"

Steve breathed a small sigh of relief. "Yep."

"Why are you yelling?"

The medic glared pointedly at Steve before turning back to his x-rays. Steve poked Myra harshly in the arm. "You are in so much trouble, young lady. You don't even know."

Myra smiled weakly. "Did you just call me a young lady? I'm older than you."

"You definitely don't look older than me."

"Yes, well, you're supposed to be ninety years old."

"And even though you're older than me, you're not as smart as me. Why on earth would you go running off to Loki? Especially after Fury told you not to?"

"What did you think I was going to do? Besides, you left me alone."

Steve's eyebrows shot up. "Oh no. You are not going to blame this on me." Myra didn't respond; instead, she closed her eyes. Steve watched her for a minute before remembering that she had a concussion. "Myra?"

"Hmm?"

Steve wracked his brain for a suitable topic. "Er…what exactly happened?"

Myra sighed. Eyes still closed, she began to explain. "Well, I went to find Loki. As you know. And while I was talking to him, he opened the door and just walked out. That's when Thor came in, and tried to stop him, but Loki used his magic to transport himself somewhere else. I engaged him, and he threw me through a wall. Then he dropped Thor out of the Helicarrier and tried to take me away with him, but Agent Coulson stopped him. All of that resulted in…" she wrinkled her nose in concentration. Steve couldn't help but find the gesture strangely endearing. "A broken femur, fractured wrist, three broken ribs, two cracked ones, a dislocated shoulder, a concussion, and a rather large gash on my left leg because part of the wall was glass."

Steve whistled. "That's it?"

Myra opened her eyes and grinned. "That's it."

"So you're out of commission for a little while then." It wasn't a question, but Myra shook her head anyway.

"I heal fast, remember? I'll be fine in a few minutes."

"Oh." Steve was surprised. "Well, right now we're trying to find Loki. We figure that wherever he is, the Tesseract will be as well."

"Good guess."

"Do you have any idea where he might be?"

Myra hesitated, then shook her head. "He's not acting…normal. I last saw him when he was my age, on Asgard. He was so young and innocent then. He loved his brother more than anything."

"You knew Loki?"

Now it was Myra's turn to look surprised. "You didn't know that? The Tesseract was the jewel of Odin's treasure room, remember? It belongs on Asgard."

"Then why is it here?"

Myra shrugged. "I do not know. Remember, I do not control the Tesseract. I can only follow it and attempt to influence it. If anything, it controls me."

"So you have no idea where Loki will take it."

"My guess is somewhere public," said a new voice. Steve and Myra both looked up, startled, as Stark walked into the medical bay. "He wants attention. He wants an audience."

"Like in Stuttgart," Myra said, nodding.

"Right. But that was just previews. This, this is opening night. And Loki is a full scale diva. He doesn't just want an audience. He wants his name in shining lights. He wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered on top."

Steve and Myra stared at Stark, waiting for it to sink in. Myra arched an eyebrow. Stark's eyes grew wide.

"Son of a bitch."

"My guess is he's at Stark Tower," Myra put in, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"I think you're right." Steve winked at her.

"Then what are we waiting for? That bastard is about to defile my greatest creation!"

"Fine. Let's go." Myra threw off her covers and swung her legs over the side. Steve shot to his feet.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"…coming with you?"

"Come on, gramps, lighten up. Let her come."

Steve glared at Stark. "Absolutely not. She's barely recovered from her first encounter with Loki. She won't be able to handle another one."

"Excuse me," Myra interrupted. "I can still hear you. And that was _not_ my first encounter with Loki. I'm coming with you, even if I have to fly myself to New York." Without waiting for a response, she stalked out of the medical bay. Steve and Stark exchanged a glance.

"You're one lucky man, Spangles." Stark clapped Steve on the back. "Or unlucky, depending on how you look at it." He exited the room as well, leaving Steve standing alone in confusion.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long to upload this, I had a work conference in New Mexico and just a whole bunch of stuff going on :( But I'm back! And I'll try to be updating more regularly. **

**I'm also thinking about doing like a prequel to this, explaining some of Myra's past and everything on Asgard, with possibly a romance between her and Loki ;) Let me know what you think about this idea!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my character, everything else belongs to Marvel.**

oOoOoOoOo

Steve quickly jogged to catch up to Myra and Stark, who were heading towards another part of the medical bay.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked. Myra glanced at him.

"To find Natasha," she replied. "We'll want her help."

Stark shrugged. "I'm not arguing."

"Good." Myra swung open the door to her right and stepped inside, stopping short. Steve crashed into her back. Peering around her, he saw what had made her stop; Agent Barton was standing next to the cot in the corner, his hands raised in defense. Steve glanced at Myra, whose eyes had narrowed.

"Myra," Barton began, his tone quiet and calming. "It's me. Loki's gone." When Myra didn't respond, he continued. "Look at my eyes, Myra. There's no blue left." Myra stood still for another heartbeat, before she flung herself at Barton, who yelped and took a step back. Stark snorted as Myra wrapped her arms around Barton in a fierce hug. Barton looked utterly bewildered; he patted her back stiffly, mouthing _'help me'_ at Steve and Stark. Natasha smirked. Steve waited for a few seconds before clearing his throat.

"Okay," he began. "Um, we may want to hurry this up a bit. We've kind of got a planet to save." Myra unlatched herself from Barton, flushing violently. Steve glanced at Barton. "Do you have a suit?" Barton nodded. "Then suit up." Barton nodded again and left the room, followed by Natasha. Steve looked at Myra, who shrugged and walked out as well, leaving Steve and Stark alone in the room together.

"And then there were two," Stark muttered. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Is your suit good to go?"

"Almost. I just have to make a few adjustments."

Steve nodded. "Okay. Meet us in the hangar when you're done."

"Will do." They nodded at each other and jogged out of the room, Stark going in one direction to fix his suit and Steve going in the other to find his.

oOoOoOoOo

"Everyone here?" Steve called, entering the hangar. Myra, Barton, and Natasha all looked up in response. "Where's Stark?"

"Right here." The heavy sound of metal clanging echoed throughout the open space as Iron Man appeared in the doorway. Steve grinned.

"Great. Let's go."

"This way," Barton motioned towards one of the few remaining aircrafts. The four of them (minus Stark) quickly entered the plane, startling the young pilot inside.

"Y-you can't be in here!"

Steve held up a hand. "Son, just don't." The pilot looked at all of them, wide-eyed, and practically sprinted out of the aircraft. Myra watched him go with interest.

"That was easy."

Barton sat at the controls, placing the headset over his ears. "Everyone might want to sit down," he commented, flipping a few switches. Natasha slid into the copilot's seat, while Steve and Myra wisely heeded Barton's words and strapped themselves into the seats in the back. "Ready to go?" Without waiting for a response, Barton hit a button, and suddenly the plane was speeding out of the hangar faster than Steve thought was possible. He flattened himself against the back of the plane, squeezing his eyes shut. Myra laughed.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Never better," Steve grunted. "Are we almost there?"

"Almost," Barton said from the front. Steve turned his head and saw Barton glance back, grinning viciously. Without warning, the plane barrel rolled and plummeted towards the ground. Steve closed his eyes again and gritted his teeth.

"I hate you," he ground out. Barton cackled and righted the plane.

"Next stop: New York City."

Steve breathed a sigh of relief as the plane flew steadily. Myra giggled, and Steve arched an eyebrow. "You think this is funny?"

"I do."

"…well I'm glad my discomfort amuses you."

Myra flashed a smile, and Steve realized that this was probably the first time he had ever seen her smile in happiness. Almost at the same time, he realized that he rather liked her smile.

"If you two are finished flirting with each other, we're here. And Stark's arrived as well."

Steve flushed violently and peered out of the window to avoid looking at anyone. Sure enough, Iron Man could be seen circling around the top of Stark Tower. Suddenly, a brilliant blue beam of light shot up from the building and into the sky. At that moment, Myra let out a strangled noise. Glancing down at her, Steve saw that she had gone extremely pale and was breathing hard.

"Are you okay?"

Myra breathed out sharply and nodded. "I've…got to…calm down," she grunted. Steve glanced at Natasha, who just shrugged her shoulders. Feeling rather foolish, he patted her arm gently. She smirked.

"I've got it."

"Are you –" An explosion rocked the plane, cutting Steve off. Barton immediately began yelling.

"We've been hit!"

"Really now?" Myra shouted. Everyone turned to glare at her. She glanced at her hands, looking sheepish. "Sorry. I'm a little…excited."

"Really now?" Barton mocked. Myra laughed nervously.

"It's the Tesseract," she explained. "I may be like this for a little while."

"Point taken." Barton angled the plane lower.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Steve asked, concerned by the amount of smoke billowing out the side of the aircraft. "It looks unsafe."

Natasha laughed as Barton rolled his eyes. "We are perfectly safe, Cap. I'm just going to land this plane nice and easy down here, and then we'll exit slowly like ordinary people."

"Really?"

"NO. THE PLANE IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE AND I'M TRYING TO KEEP US ALL FROM DYING. SO CAN YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME SAVE US ALL?"

Steve winced. "Sure." Another explosion went off somewhere near the back of the plane. Just as Steve was about to say something, the plane smashed into the ground, bounced once and crashed into a light post.

"Everyone okay?" Steve shouted. Somewhere to his right, Myra coughed.

"I'm fine."

"We're good," Natasha said. "Though we may want to get out of the plane now."

Steve quickly unbuckled himself and grabbed his shield. Barton and Natasha were already on the pavement outside, fighting off a horde of ugly aliens that swarmed around the fallen plane. "Myra?" he yelled.

"I'm stuck."

Steve whirled around and laughed. The force of the impact had caused Myra's seat to detach from the side of the plane and lodge itself in the rip in the metal. Upside down. Myra frowned as Steve doubled over.

"This isn't funny."

Steve straightened up with some difficulty and wiped his eyes. "Here, let me help you." After a few minutes, it became apparent that she was really and truly stuck. "Why won't your seatbelt come off?" Steve grunted, trying to tear with his hands.

"It's jammed."

"Why can't you just make a knife and use it to cut it?"

There was a beat of silence as Myra and Steve both stared at each other, before Myra grumbled something unintelligible and a blue knife formed in her hand. Within seconds, she dropped to the floor. Steve's arms shot out and caught her before she could hit the metal, and he grinned at her. She smacked his arm.

"Put me down."

"Admit it, I'm smarter than you."

"Is now really the time?" Myra said, just as Natasha yelled at them from outside.

"Stop making out and get your butts out here right now!" Steve immediately dropped Myra, who brushed herself off. He picked his shield up and nodded once at her.

"Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello to anyone out there who may or may not be reading this!**

**I'm sorry it's been so long between updates. I've had writers block and work and a zillion other commitments that don't make a very nice combination.**

**I also want to let you (anyone who may or may not be reading this) know that I am notorious for losing interest and not completing stories, and I am starting to see some of the symptoms of the early stages of this. I will fight it, but I'm sorry if what comes out in later chapters is perhaps not the most amazing writing ever. Sorry.**

****oOoOoOoOo

Myra and Steve tumbled out of the aircraft and into the throng of aliens that advanced on Barton and Natasha.

"It's about time!" Barton shouted, shooting arrow after arrow. Steve slammed his shield into an alien, sending it flying in the opposite direction.

"Sorry!" Steve yelled in response.

"Watch out!"

A blue knife sailed past Steve's head, narrowly missing his ear. He turned his head to see it buried in the chest of an alien. As Steve watched, the knife shimmered and disappeared. "What are these things?" he shouted in frustration.

Myra suddenly appeared at his elbow. "They are called the Chitauri. They are not of any of the Nine Realms. This is the army Loki spoke of."

"So how do we beat them?" Steve grunted as he threw another alien off him. Next to him, Myra threw three more knives in quick succession.

"We _are_ beating them. Individually, at least. But as long as more of them keep coming from there," she pointed at the portal in the sky, "we don't stand a chance. We need to close that portal."

"And how do we –_ oof_!" Steve glared up at Myra, who lay on top of him, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Sorry about that. There was a Chitauri behind you." Steve glanced around wildly, causing Myra to laugh. "I took care of it." She rolled off him, hauling herself to her feet, and offered him her hand. Steve stared at it for a moment before rolling his eyes and accepting it.

"Where are the rest of them?" Steve asked, looking around. There were plenty of alien bodies, but no live aliens. Myra shrugged.

"I guess Clint and Natasha took care of them."

"Get down!"

Steve practically tackled Myra behind a car, a blue beam of light hitting the spot where they had been standing not moments before. Barton popped out from behind another car, shooting arrow after arrow at the Chitauri that had somehow materialized around them.

"Come on," Steve hissed at Myra. He grabbed her arm and half-dragged her to where Natasha and Barton sat crouched. Upon seeing them, Natasha immediately reached for her gun, sending Steve into a panic. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" he whisper-yelled, throwing his hands in the air. Natasha visibly relaxed as she realized who they were, and Steve breathed a sigh of relief. He opened his mouth to say something when he heard Myra yell. Twisting sideways, he saw her wriggle away from an alien and stab him in the chest. Two more knives appeared in her hands, and with a flick of each of her wrists she sent them spinning toward two more Chitauri who were closing in on Barton. Steve nodded appreciatively. "You're pretty handy with those blades."

"Thanks. Knives are usually the first thing I think of, so Fury had me practice throwing them."

"Can you make anything else?"

"Practically anything. Some things take longer than others to form or to work properly, but I can create anything I want."

"Have you ever tried just shooting energy from your hands?"

Myra paused to consider this. "No, actually, I haven't. I'm not even sure how that would work."

Steve shrugged. "It was just an idea."

"All clear!" Barton said shortly. Natasha, Myra, and Steve all stood up and surveyed the scene. Barton strode among the bodies of the fallen aliens, retrieving his arrows.

"Uh, guys?" Natasha stopped short, looking at something high in the sky. Steve followed her gaze. Beside him, Myra said a very unladylike word.

A large, reptilian creature swam out of the portal, closely followed by two more. It was covered in what looked like row upon row of wickedly sharp scales, and its skin crackled with electricity. As Steve, Myra, Barton, and Natasha watched, it careened into the side of a building, carving out a huge chunk of brick and glass. A voice suddenly crackled in Steve's earpiece.

"_Steve!_"

"Stark? Is that you?"

"_No, Spangles, it's the Tooth Fairy. OF COURSE IT'S STARK!_"

Steve winced. "Sorry. Where are you?"

"_Fighting the big ugly thing in the sky. I take it you've seen it?_"

"Yes, I have. How exactly do you plan on taking it down?"

"_I…haven't figured that part out yet. Is Banner there?_"

"What are – Banner?"

"_Yes, Banner. That's what I said, isn't it?_"

"Well, yes, but I'm not really sure we can count on him to–"

"_Just keep me posted._" The earpiece crackled again and fell silent, leaving a very bemused Captain America anxiously scanning the sky for a sign of Iron Man.

oOoOoOoOo

**This chapter was a little shorter (sorry) because I have big plans for the next chapter. Maybe. Who knows, I might decide to can it and go in a completely different direction. I don't know yet. Don't quote me on that.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed!**

**P.S. Please review, I haven't been getting many and I'd like to know if my writing is good, bad, or ugly, and possibly how I could improve (if that's not too much to ask) :)**


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